TEN KEYS TO LIFE - Part 2 - My Territory vs My Kingdom

Picture taken over the Grand Canyon on our first motorcycle trip out west - 2006!

Ministry is about expanding GOD'S KINGDOM, not my own

A couple of years ago, my mentor shared "the most dangerous prayer" in the Bible --

"Oh, that you would bless me and expand my territory! Please be with me in all that I do, and keep me from all trouble and pain!" (Emphasis added) 

1 Chronicles 4:10

 

This prayer is tucked away in a rather obscure place in Scripture. I am sure I have read past this prayer dozens of times without giving it a second thought. In all honesty, it is in a series of verses that are rather hard to read. This prayer of an unknown man named Jabez is in one of those places in scripture filled with endless names and family trees. All of a sudden, in the middle of a list of the descendants of the tribe of Judah, this prayer stands out. 

We don't know much about Jabez. We know he was honorable and he got his name because his mother experienced severe pain at his birth. We also know in 1 Chronicles 2:55 that there was a town with the same name. So, his life is not memorable and as far as we know he was just a common man. His prayer was simple and powerful. At the end of the prayer, it states, "And God granted him his request." 

Wow! Can you imagine living a life being blessed in all you do, not knowing trouble or pain? Yet, that is exactly what Jabez prayed and God granted his request!

As I have prayed this prayer there is one word that has always stood out to me. Jabez asked God to expand his TERRITORY. He did not ask God to expand his KINGDOM. There is a huge difference. A Kingdom has a supreme ruler who is served and the KING administers all justice. A territory on the other hand is smaller than a Kingdom and the administrator of the territory reports to someone else, more than likely, the King. The manager of a territory has the responsibility to make sure he is fruitful for the King and the best way to do that is to make sure the workers of the ground, the territory, receive all the support they need to be fruitful. EXPANDING YOUR TERRITORY MEANS YOU HAVE MORE WORK TO DO AND ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR MORE! My responsibility in the Kingdom of God is to make sure the people in my sphere of influence have all the support and resources they need to be fruitful for the Lord. 

When Jabez asked to expand his territory he was asking God to help him grow his area of responsibility. He wanted more people to serve! Why would he do that?  Who prays for more work to do?

This is a "dangerous prayer" because someone who prays it is asking God to send more people to pray for, teach, fellowship, and share meals. (Acts 2:42) It is dangerous because you better be prepared for the consequences of the answer! 

Do you really want to pray this prayer? Do you know what you are asking? Each of us should have the same desire as Jabez, but are we willing to make the sacrifices needed to serve more people for our King, Jesus?

My ministry is NOT about expanding my own Kingdom. The only Kingdom I'm a part of already has a ruler. His name is Jesus! My ministry is about serving others, sharing the Gospel with as many people as I can, and helping disciples make more disciples. I need a daily reminder I am serving the King and my job is to care for the flock, the TERRITORY he has assigned to me. 

TEN KEYS TO LIFE - Part 1 - God Direct My Path!

 

A couple of years ago, in my second semester working on my Master's Degree at Indiana Wesleyan Seminary, I created a list of my top TEN KEYS TO MINISTRY. I have a copy that has been in my Bible since that day:

I thought I would share them and my thoughts, in detail over the next several days.

Ministry is Holy Spirit Driven - 
If God is not directing my path, I don't want to go!

I have 26 scriptures that I have highlighted as my favorite passages in the Bible. I try to review them every day and the list continues to expand. These words from the Lord help me focus on what is right and true. They help guide my path. Two of those scriptures are:

'Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my

anxious thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and

lead me along the path of everlasting life.'

Psalms 139:23-24 https://my.bible.com/bible/116/PSA.139.23-24

'Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own

understanding. Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you

which path to take. '

Proverbs 3:5-6https://my.bible.com/bible/116/PRO.3.5-6

Anyone that really knows me, knows how stubborn I can be. (Please no comments!LOL) I am a take-charge kind of guy. What that means is I lack any understanding of patience! I need the reminder of these two verses to help me rest in the power of the Holy Spirit to guide my path. 

Right now, our NEW ministry has not met our financial goals. Goals that I set, deadlines that I created. It is creating a little anxiety in my life. Today, when I read these two verses, I was quickly reminded that MY PATH is not always GOD'S PATH. My understanding, my definition of the plan for our ministry may not be God's plan and even if the plans are the same. God's timing may not be my timing. His goals, his deadlines, may not be mine!

When we give our lives to the Lord, if we truly give them up, we are giving him control of our path. That control includes where the path goes and the timing of our walk on that path. It sounds so cliche, GOD IS IN CONTROL!

I am so glad the Lord knows me, he knows my anxious thoughts, he knows my heart and he takes seriously his responsibility to guide my path. Lately, God has been flooding Stephanie and me with people to disciple. He keeps sending us "persons of peace" (people desiring to grow in their faith) in places we would never have guessed. He is entrusting us with helping direct people closer to him. In the end, all the other "stuff," really doesn't matter. HE WILL PROVIDE!

Thank you Lord for guiding my path, I renew my commitment to letting YOU show me the way even when I do not understand!

Israel 2022 - Reflection #38 - Final Thoughts

 

Most of the grandkids are back in school and my IWU classes begin on Friday. In fact, I have already begun work on my first week of assignments. I'm slowly getting back into "school mode." It is always great to get ahead. The real challenge is to stay ahead. I get so stressed out if I get anywhere close to a deadline.

The picture above was taken in the IWU parking lot as we were departing on this journey. It seems like the trip to Israel is a distant memory that occurred sometime in my deep past. It has been so valuable for me to process all that I saw by writing these blogs. We were so busy those ten days in Israel. One of my favorite times was the bus rides between sites. I know that seems weird, but the downtime was so valuable to reflect on what we just saw and where we were heading. I love quiet times of reflection and time to absorb what I have learned. Bus rides, plane rides, and times at night falling asleep were all such important parts of this trip so I could let the Holy Spirit fill me with what he wanted me to take away. 

I am so blessed to have had this opportunity to visit Israel. I am so blessed to travel with such a wonderful group of people. Dr. Joseph and Dr. Levicheva, Rami, Becca, Joel, Abby, Aaron, and the rest of the leadership team were such a blessing and I am so thankful for their hard work. I am so thankful for each "walk," each time we had to "count off," each time we were attacked by the locals trying to earn a living, each trip to find ice cream, the stresses, the joys, the laughter, and most of all the people who joined me on this pilgrimage. Thanks everyone!

I am having a hard time summarizing everything. I put together a video for my summer class about this trip. SO, I decided to share it. Praise God for his many blessings!

Israel 2022 - Reflection #37 - Church of the Holy Sepulchre

 

Even after about eight weeks, it is hard to put into words my feelings about the Church of the Holy Sepulcher. This post is going to be relatively short. How can I express in words what the events that took place, here, mean to my life. Its been 50 years this summer since I gave my life to Christ as a twelve-year-old kid at a United Methodist Church Camp. This place brought back so many of those memories. Knowing Jesus, God's one and only Son, gave his life for me in a horrendous death, and rose again to defeat death is the only statement in my Faith that really matters. Paul virtually said the exact same thing:

...And if Christ has not been raised, then all

our preaching is useless, and your faith is useless. And we apostles

would all be lying about God—for we have said that God raised

Christ from the grave. '

1 Corinthians 15:14-15 https://my.bible.com/bible/116/1CO.15.14-15

When I stood in line waiting to enter the tomb, I kept thinking how amazing it is that I am here, ready to enter the tomb just like Mary and the disciples. 

'However, Peter jumped up and ran to the tomb to look. Stooping,

he peered in and saw the empty linen wrappings; then he went

home again, wondering what had happened. But the story sounded

like nonsense to the men, so they didn’t believe it. It was Mary

Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and several

other women who told the apostles what had happened. So they

rushed back from the tomb to tell his eleven disciples—and everyone

else—what had happened. Then they remembered that he had

said this. that the Son of Man must be betrayed into the hands of

sinful men and be crucified, and that he would rise again on the

third day.” He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Remember

what he told you back in Galilee, The women were terrified and

bowed with their faces to the ground. Then the men asked, “Why

are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive? As

they stood there puzzled, two men suddenly appeared to them,

clothed in dazzling robes. So they went in, but they didn’t find the

body of the Lord Jesus. They found that the stone had been rolled

away from the entrance. But very early on Sunday morning the

women went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared. ' Luke 24:1-12 https://my.bible.com/bible/116/LUK.24.1-12

Like the disciples, I have seen the risen savior. I have seen him active and working in my life. We do not serve a God that is dead, a god from the past, a god that does not care for us. We serve THE GOD, who loved us so much he gave his only Son so that we might live with him in paradise. In this wonderful church were constant reminders of God's love for us. 

Thank you Lord, for taking my sin upon yourself. I love you Lord and pray you will continue to use me for your glory. Amen. 

This is a slab of granite where it is believed Jesus had been laid inside the tomb.

The artwork and decor of this church are a feeble attempt to raise this place to the prominence it deserves. Everything is so well done and has meaning beyond anything I can explain completely 

Our group entering the tomb. Once inside we were able to pray. A single prayer, lasting only a few moments is just completely insufficient in Praising God for his perfect gift!

This place located very near the tomb of the risen Jesus is thought to be the final tomb of Joseph of Arimethea and gives a good indication of what Jesus tomb looked like. 

This is the spot where Jesus was crucified. I was surprised by how close it was to the tomb. However, it makes sense because the coming Sabbath would not have given much time for burial. People are kneeling to touch the rock where Jesus died on the cross. 

The rock at Golgotha, split by the earthquake upon Jesus' death on the cross. 

Israel 2022 - Reflection #36 - Mount of Olives

The picture above is taken from the Old City of Jerusalem looking across the valley to the Mount of Olives. 

There Mount of Olives has the greatest views of the city of Jerusalem. If you could block out the modern skyline from your mind, you can see why Jesus would have loved this place. It is enough away from the old city to have some time of quiet and yet close enough to venture into the city daily. 

The Mount of Olives is mentioned in 2 Samuel as David is run out of Jerusalem by his son, Absalom. He and his group were in mourning for the events taking place in Jerusalem. Zechariah describes the Mount of Olives as the place of Jesus' second coming:

'On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem.

And the Mount of Olive will split apart, making a wide valley running from

east to west. Half the mountain will move toward the north and half

toward the south. '

Zechariah 14:4 https://my.bible.com/bible/116/ZEC.14.4

 It also was the place of Jesus' ascension. (Acts 1:9-12) It is fair to say that this place has a significant place in the life of Jesus and his followers. This wonderful place is mentioned 75 times throughout the Bible, mostly related to Jesus and his disciples. The amazing fact is that there are several 2000-year-old Olive trees that stand as witnesses to all these events. As I think about the Mount of Olives and its place in Jesus' life all I can think of is that this was a place of prayer and quiet for Jesus. In Luke 22:39 it says, 

'Then accompanied by his disciples, Jesus left the upstairs room and went as usual to the Mount of Olives." (emphasis added) 

This was that place where Jesus went to speak with his Heavenly Father. This is the place he pleaded with him and eventually submitted to the Father's will. 

Do you have a "GO TO" place where you meet the Heavenly Father?  Do you have a place you often go that is quiet, peaceful, and easily accessible, where you can plead, praise, and talk with the Lord? I would have just loved to spend the day walking, praying, and listening for the Lord's voice when we visited the Mount of Olives. We had so much to see and this was just not possible. 

I can't think of a specific Mount of Olives I have had throughout my life. When I was a young man, Epworth Forest Church Camp was a place I loved to go. It was peaceful and I always felt that place was a place filled with the Holy Spirit. As a young adult and parent, I didn't really have a place. It would have been helpful. Now my favorite place to "meet the Lord" is on my daily walks. I get to do these about three to four times a week. I cannot express the number of times the Lord has filled my walks with his obvious presence. Being older, I always have a middle-of-the-night "wake-up call." I used to hate this time. A couple of years ago, I started praying and listening at this time of the night. It has been wonderful. So, at 3am in the morning, lying in my bed, in some ways it feels like the Mount of Olives. HA! Our lives are so busy, packed with distraction after distraction that keeps us from connecting with Jesus. I have to believe Satan wants it that way. 

I am so thankful for my times with the Lord. I look forward to them often. I wish I would have started this when I was younger. I missed out on so many precious moments. Praise God for the times we get to share now and I look forward to eternity doing the exact same thing. 

The views from the Mount of Olives are amazing. This is looking down into the Temple area. The gold dome is the Dome of the Rock. You can just visualize that area being the place of the Temple. 

What a fun opportunity watching everyone take their turn on THE CAMEL! 

I think we have the same beard and face. Maybe related?